Two recent demonstrations of diffractive optics for uncooled staring 8 - 12 micrometers infrared imagers are reviewed and critically examined. Although each demonstration by itself yielded impressive results, when viewed from a broader system standpoint and considering current state-of-the-art in uncooled detector arrays, it is concluded that there is not a compelling reason to use diffractive elements in current systems. Alternatives are suggested.
Applications of diffractive optics to uncooled infrared imagers
Infrared Technology XVII ; 1991 ; San Diego,CA,United States
Proc. SPIE ; 1540
1991-12-01
Conference paper
Electronic Resource
English
Application of diffractive optics to infrared imagers
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